GoodReturns.co.nz - Mortgage News

Link appoints a new general manager

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 17:15:00 +1200

Adviser training boss takes the helm of Link Financial Group (LFG).

Mortgage lending dips

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 16:12:00 +1200

The latest Reserve Bank figures show new mortgage lending dropped to $8.3 billion in April from $8.7 billion in March, but up 3.5% from $8 billion in the same month last year.

Which banks did the most lending in 1st quarter; and who slowed down

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 09:13:00 +1200

Kiwibank appeared to take its foot off the accelerator on mortgage lending in the March quarter after a string of quarters of lending above its market share which reached almost 8% at March 31.

More borrowers take out ever bigger mortgages

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:28:00 +1200

More than 18,000 borrowers have mortgages of more than $2 million, a number that has grown rapidly – up from 5,000 in 2017, 6,000 in 2019 and 13,000 in 2022.

Advocacy over shouting leads the way

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:08:00 +1200

The demise of the Finance and Mortgage Advisers Association of New Zealand (FAMNZ) is no surprise to Hamish Patel, Financial Advice New Zealand (FANZ) mortgage and lending director.

61 mortgage fraud charges filed

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:08:00 +1200

A raft of mortgage fraud charges against six people have been filed by the FMA in the Manukau District Court.

TSB Heartland to become NZ's sixth largest home loan provider

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 15:25:00 +1200

If all goes to plan, Heartland Group’s purchase of TSB Bank will result in home loans becoming 44% of the combined group’s $15.1 billion of gross receivables and 54% of the New Zealand bank’s gross receivables, according to the proforma inflation Heartland has provided.

Heartland to buy TSB

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 10:04:00 +1200

Heartland Group is taking over TSB paying the Taranaki-based bank $620 million in cash, shares and a $264 million two-year vendor loan.

FAMNZ dead

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:04:00 +1200

Two years after launching the Finance and Mortgage Advisers Association of New Zealand (FAMNZ) is shutting up shop.

Lending expansion and new product to bolster Finbase

Fri, 29 May 2026 09:42:00 +1200

Finbase has launched a new 30-year mortgage product after a $150 million capital partnership deal with ASX-listed Challenger.

Aussie private credit deal for Finbase

Thu, 28 May 2026 11:25:00 +1200

Australia listed Challenger has finalised a $150 million capital partnership with Auckland-based mortgage lender Finbase

Meet Helen Zheng, Business Development Manager at Xceda

Thu, 28 May 2026 09:31:00 +1200

Xceda is pleased to introduce Helen Zheng, Business Development Manager, supporting advisers with lending submissions, credit guidance, adviser education, and early stage deal structuring.

RBNZ predicts rising mortgage rates

Thu, 28 May 2026 06:37:00 +1200

The Reserve Bank says it expects average mortgage rates to increase from about 4.9% in March this year to about 5.4% by March 2027.

Divided RBNZ keeps the OCR on hold

Wed, 27 May 2026 16:21:00 +1200

The Reserve Bank is projecting its official cash rate (OCR) will probably rise to 2.5% in the September quarter, although there's still a chance of an earlier hike.

OCR announcement: What the RBNZ said

Wed, 27 May 2026 14:00:00 +1200

The Monetary Policy Committee today voted to hold the OCR at 2.25%.

Prediction for weighty rate rises on the horizon

Tue, 26 May 2026 10:17:00 +1200

There are fears some hefty mortgage interest rate rises coming based on recent movements in wholesale rates.

What will the RBNZ do to the OCR next week? Economists give their guesses

Fri, 22 May 2026 10:45:00 +1200

Economists expect the OCR to be held at 2.25% at Wednesday’s RBNZ meeting.

Banks given the thumbs down by their customers

Thu, 21 May 2026 12:20:00 +1200

For the first time in a decade no bank has reached Consumer NZ’s customer satisfaction threshold for its Consumer Choice award.

Xceda adds an experienced business manager

Tue, 19 May 2026 16:42:00 +1200

Xceda is pleased to introduce Bruce Smith as Strategic Partnership Manager, supporting advisers with specialist lending scenarios and strengthening relationships across the adviser market.

OCR increases should start sooner rather than later

Fri, 15 May 2026 10:42:00 +1200

ASB’s economists are favouring OCR hikes to start in July while Westpac thinks September is the right time.

Basecorp secures more funding

Thu, 14 May 2026 10:47:00 +1200

Basecorp has closed out another securitisation programme raising funds for future lending.

First home buyers continue leaping into the housing and mortgage markets

Mon, 11 May 2026 10:18:00 +1200

While house prices move up at a glacial pace first home buyers are taking advantage of the hollowed-out market to buy and get what they want.

Banks spend big for little gain

Fri, 08 May 2026 10:55:00 +1200

Cashback campaign cost banks millions for little change in mortgage customer share

Non-bank lending balloons

Wed, 06 May 2026 11:07:00 +1200

The Reserve Bank says residential mortgage lending by non-banks has risen about 30% since the deposit insurance scheme came into force from July 1 last year.

Westpac accelerates home lending and adviser-originated loans

Tue, 05 May 2026 12:16:00 +1200

Westpac New Zealand accelerated its home loan lending in the six months ended March, adding $2.1 billion in new lending.

Advisers increased origination of BNZ home loans

Mon, 04 May 2026 12:36:00 +1200

Is BNZ rediscovering that ditching mortgage advisers comes at a cost?

Mortgage borrowers catch up on arrears

Mon, 04 May 2026 11:14:00 +1200

As economic struggles push the country towards stagflation, borrowers with mortgage arrears continue to decline.

ANZ's reliance on mortgage advisers eases a little

Fri, 01 May 2026 11:35:00 +1200

Mortgage advisers originated 58% of ANZ Bank New Zealand’s home loans in the six months ended March, down from 59% in the same six months a year earlier.

One-year fixed spot on for borrowers - ANZ

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 15:05:00 +1200

ANZ economists see little value in fixing mortgages for more than one year from a pure cost perspective.

Economists at war over OCR forecasts

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:27:00 +1200

ANZ suggests the RBNZ will rise three times this year. Kiwibank says "reckless" rate hikes unwarranted.

ANZ goes out on a limb and predicts three OCR rises this year

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 09:40:00 +1200

The country’s biggest bank and home loan lender is now predicting three 0.25% OCR rises this year, taking the official cash rate to 3%.

Mortgage enquiries sink as war drags on and interest rates rise

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 06:55:00 +1200

High fuel prices because of the US and Israel war with Iran, rising interest rates, an increase in banks’ servicing test rates, election year wobbles and general uncertainty over the economy have meant a noticeable drop in mortgage enquiries.

Non-bank sector hopeful of a more profitable year

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 06:51:00 +1200

Even though margin pressure, the Iran war and election year dynamics are weighing on non-bank lenders, they are cautiously optimistic their businesses will improve this year, KPMG’s Specialist Lenders Insights Report shows.

OCR on hold

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 14:10:00 +1200

The Reserve Bank has kept the OCR unchanged. Here's what it said.

RBNZ urged to lower OCR to counter oil price shock recession

Tue, 07 Apr 2026 09:57:00 +1200

While the country’s major banks’ economists expect the RBNZ to look through the initial effects of the Iran war and higher oil prices on inflation and to hold the OCR at 2.25% at its Monetary Policy Review tomorrow, Staircase Financial Management research head Kieran Trass says now is the time to cut the OCR when the oil shock is about to push up costs.

Billions in wealth lost during one of the severest housing corrections

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 06:00:00 +1200

Homeowners have lost $570 billion in real wealth since the end of 2021 in one of the biggest peacetime housing falls, John Bolton, Squirrel Mortgages founder and group head of property finance reckons.

Altered documents lead to cancelled licence for mortgage adviser

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 08:10:00 +1200

KAN's tipoff to the Financial Markets Authority leads to mortgage adviser having his FAP licence cancelled.

BNZ take mortgage competition up a notch

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 20:22:00 +1200

BNZ is upping competition between banks by paying the legal fees of homeowners who switch their mortgages to the bank.

Mortgage holders big switch to new lenders tapers off

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 09:18:00 +1200

Just 22.3% of the $6.6 billion borrowed in new mortgages during February was for a change of loan provider – the lowest since January last year, the latest Reserve Bank figures show.

Interest rates expected to rise at a much faster pace

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 18:58:00 +1200

Further interest rate rises look likely over coming weeks, economist Tony Alexander says.